Bamboo & Lace

by Lori Wick

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  Chapter 8

  "You know," Lily suddenly said, her head coming up to find Bailey sitting on the side of the tub across from her, "this tub is going to get that antiseptic solution in it, the wash they used on me in the hospital. I know the short shower I took didn't get it all off."

  "That's okay. Ash will add some chlorine and it'll be all set."

  "May I ask you something, Bailey?"

  "Anything."

  "What does everyone do around here? How do you make this work?"

  While Bailey helped Celia find a toy to play with, she answered, "Gabe is the official manager of the Kapaia Resort. He makes the main decisions and takes the heat if anyone is unhappy. He deals the most with the public, and he has his own office in the rear of the resort office so he can field problems with guests or reservations or whatever.

  "Ash manages the grounds and all the groundskeepers, along with all the cottages. He sees to repairs or makes sure they're done, whatever is needed. Evan sees to the restaurant and all equipment."

  "What type of equipment?"

  "Well, not everyone comes with tennis rackets and balls, but we have four courts, so he rents those out and keeps them up. He manages the beach area, snorkeling equipment, paddle boats you name it."

  "And the restaurant too?"

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  "Yes. We have a great staff, but he oversees the manager, who does most of the ordering, the hiring, and the firing. Evan also handles any changes to the menu, business hours, or building."

  Lily was amazed.

  "But right now is your time off?"

  "Yes. We don't book any guests in September or October. Some of our competitors say we're crazy, but we found that staying open 12 months a year when we're family owned and operated as we are was just wearing everyone out. We've only done it this way for four years. It definitely takes a toll on the money side of things, but it's well worth it for the rest and family time."

  And during your time off, you got stuck with me.

  Lily hated the thought and didn't know where it had come from, but she worked to swiftly push it aside. As her brother had reminded her, this was where God wanted her.

  "Can we swim?"

  "You mean in the pool, Peter?"

  He nodded in excitement.

  "Not unless your dad comes out with you."

  "Can I go ask him?"

  Bailey glanced at Lily. Her head was back and her eyes were closed again.

  "In a little while."

  I'm going to peel, aren't I?"

  Bailey looked over to see that Lily's head had come up and she was staring at her.

  "Like a snake." Bailey had no choice but to tell her, laughing just a little.

  Lily was still inspecting the skin on her arm when Gabe came toward them. He had a cordless phone in his hand. "It's for you, Lily. Jeff." "Oh!"

  Lily started to reach for it but stopped. "I can talk in here?"

  "Sure," Gabe said, a smile coming to his lips. "It would probably be best if you didn't drop it in the water as I have in the past."

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  Lily smiled at him as she took it.

  Gabe went back to the house, but now it was Baileys turn to stare at Lily. For the first time, Lily was talking on the phone to her brother and not tearing up in the least. It looked as though she was finally going to make it.

  "I think you should stay here." "Do you?"

  "Yes, Lily," Gabe answered, his voice kind but also firm. "A week ago you were in the hospital, and there's no reason to rush this. By the time we drive to church, have early service, stay for Sunday school, and drive home, we're away from the house for hours. You have the rest of your stay to get to know the church family."

  Gabe couldn't tell what she was thinking, but he thought she might be reluctant to do as he asked. In an effort to make her feel better, he added, "You'll be much more comfortable here, Lily, and we'll come home and tell you everything."

  Lily nodded in obesance, even though she wanted to argue. She was still sore, that was true, but getting better every day, and she so wanted to go to church. Jeff had talked often about the church family. She realized she wanted to get to know them better.

  But the matter was settled.

  Lily ate breakfast with the family and even had the newspaper to herself when they all left, but before she was ready to accept Gabe's word on the subject, they were out the door and gone. Lily finished reading the articles of interest to her in the newspaper, but she was distracted.

  She cleared her place at the table, washed up the dishes, and then wandered aimlessly around the house. Not until she glanced up to see a surfer offshore did she pull out of her mood. In a moment of recognition, Lily realized that she had not gone out onto the beach since coming to the resort. Her first few days she

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  had been intent on helping and not saying the wrong thing, and then she had been burned.

  Able to be outside but still under cover from the sun, Lily stepped out one of the patio doors and onto the covered veranda. She took a seat on a footstool it still felt better not to lean back against anything and simply watched.

  Unless her eyes were deceiving her, the man's leg was manacled to the surfboard by some type of cord. He wore a black wet suit and had very blond hair. His board was bright yellow. Lily found herself captivated.

  The surfer never rode into shore. After riding a wave just so far, he would spin around in a fascinating move and ready himself to catch the next wave. Lily had no idea how long she watched, but the whole show was mesmerizing.

  At one point the surfer took a spill, and Lily actually came to her feet with a small gasp. That surfers fell often was not something she would know, so it was with great relief that Lily saw him come up and start again.

  I was terribly grouchy in my heart to Gabe, Lily suddenly confessed to the Lord. Here he was offering to see to my best, and I was angry at him. Why do you suppose that I'm so selfish? You would think I would know better by now. I'm still fighting You over my schedule here. I get it in my head that it's going to be one way, and when it's not, I'm very angry with You.

  Please help me not to fall into this again, Lord. Help me to be strong and want Your will more than my own. Bless the family as they attend church and Sunday school this morning. Help them to study hard. Give Pastor Stringer clarity of thought

  Lily went on to pray for everyone she could think of, at home and in Hawaii, and to thank God for taking such good care of her. The surfer was still at it when she finished, but Lily had lost a certain amount of interest. Seeing that she could still remain out of the sun, Lily moved until she could reach the sand. She spent the next hour writing words, building little roads that

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  resembled a small town, and then simply enjoying the texture of the sand as it ran over and through her fingers.

  Lily was on Gabe's mind as the sermon began later that morning. He didn't know anyone, woman or man, whose eyes and face did not give him away. Gabe thought back on his early association with Jeff and realized it had been the same. Was two months enough time for Lily to take her guard down? Gabe wasn't sure.

  A little hand tapping his leg brought Gabe's thoughts back to the present.

  "What is it?" Gabe bent to whisper to Celia.

  The sound of her uncle's voice was all the invitation Celia needed. She climbed into his lap and laid her head back against him. It was harder to take notes with her in his lap, but for the moment he wanted to have her close.

  In an instant unbidden memories flooded through him. Gabe thought back to harder days days when the future looked bleak and brief. Days when he had made choices, or rather hadn't made choices, that would affect his remaining time on the earth, be it lengthy or fleeting.

  "Look at what the next verse says." Pastor Stringer's voice broke through Gabe's thoughts, and he knew he was missing the sermon.

  Asking the Lord to help him, and shifting Celia a little so he could read his Bible, Gabe firmly
brought his mind back to the present.

  Celia was the first one to spot Lily when the family arrived home. Her Sunday school paper clutched in her pudgy hand, she made a beeline for the veranda.

  "Lilyee," she called.

  "Hi, Celia." Lily welcomed her with a smile and even held her arm out.

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  "I can't hug," Celia told her, stopping short.

  "It's very sweet of you to remember my burn, Celia, but maybe if we hug softly... Can we do that?"

  The little head bobbed, dark hair moving, as she crept forward, moving carefully as though she and Lily were already touching. Lily smiled as she watched her earnest expression, afraid to laugh lest she stop. When they finally hugged, Lily realized how much she missed contact. Bailey didn't know her well enough to hug her, and of course with her burn would not have even tried.

  "What are you doing, CeCe?" Peter asked as he came to them.

  "Having hugs." Her brow lowered in her own defense; she had a tendency to grow cross rather easily. "Lilyee said."

  Lily smiled at Peter who returned the grin.

  "How were church and Sunday school, Peter?"

  "They were fine. I had a itch on my foot."

  "Was that during the sermon?"

  "No, during Sunday school. I had to take my shoe off."

  "Did that help?"

  "Yeah. I itched it."

  "Scratched it," Lily corrected.

  Peter only nodded and asked, "What did you do?"

  "After I finished inside, I sat out here and watched a surfer. I had never seen one."

  "We have big waves."

  "Do you?"

  "Bigger than Waikiki. The North Shore always does." "I didn't know that." "It's the winds."

  Instantly interested, Lily began to question him. Evan wandered onto the scene, and with Celia playing in the sand nearby, the three discussed the reasons for the huge waves.

  "All the big competitions are out here," Evan told Lily. "The waves can be downright treacherous, but that's what we look for."

  "Do you surf?" Lily asked, leaning close with interest.

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  "We all do."

  "Not CeCe," Peter clarified, and the little girl came over upon hearing the sound of her name.

  I'm hungry," she stated and made her way into the house.

  The mention of food caused them all to head that way with Lily bringing up the rear. She looked back at the waves the surfer was long gone and tried to picture herself on a surfboard. A small shudder ran over her as a large wave crashed into shore. Not in her wildest dreams could she imagine riding one of those waves.

  Lily didn't find out until late in the day that there was no church that night. She knew that Gabe would have discouraged her from going, so she found it rather nice to know that she wouldn't be alone again. She had ended up enjoying her solitary time, but company was pleasant too.

  "We're going to watch a movie," Peter told Lily, who found Bailey in the kitchen fixing bowls of popcorn.

  "How fun. What movie?"

  "A Disney one. What is it, Mama?"

  "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes. We've heard it's fun."

  "We borrowed it from Matthew Daily at church."

  "I don't think I've met him."

  "He's big. He's bigger than me."

  Lily smiled at the way Peter's eyes rounded before she noticed that Bailey was slicing fruit. Fetching another knife, she moved to help her. In no time at all, the men were on hand gathering soft drinks, glasses, ice, and the cookie jar. Clearly it was going to be a feast.

  "Okay, Pete," Evan urged when everyone had moved to the TV area of the great room. "Let's start 'er up."

  The little boy did not need to be asked twice. He pushed the video into the machine and then scrambled into his fathers lap.

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  It didn't take long for Lily to see what Bailey meant about the film being fun. Dexter Havens, the main character, was a charming scamp who was at college for the social life more than an education. Not known as a brain, Dexter accidentally gets an electrical jolt from a wire that's connected to the school's computers, and his life is transformed. He and his friends join the College Knowledge Bowl for their college and end up in competitions with other schools.

  Lily and the Kapaia family were thoroughly engrossed when the debate questions began. Lily didn't hear herself, but just before the answer was given each time, she quietly answered the question.

  "The sensation of one's limbs falling asleep is known as?" the quiz master on the movie asked. "Neuropraxia," Lily said quietly. "Why was the Taj Mahal built?" "As a tomb for Shah Jahan's wife."

  The quiz master went on to ask for the six largest bodies of water, in order.

  "Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, Mediterranean, and Caribbean."

  "Malaysia's currency is the-?"

  "Ringgit," Lily said, having answered at least ten other questions correctly.

  "How did you know that?" Ashton finally asked her. He had only known half of the answers.

  "Oh." Lily looked surprised and then shrugged a little. "I've probably read it somewhere."

  A moment later, Ashton wished he had kept his mouth shut. He realized that Lily had clammed up.

  "Go ahead, Lily," Gabe directed, having caught on as well. "Answer the questions."

  Lily wasn't sure what he meant. She assumed they all knew the answers since most of them were pretty basic. She wondered

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  that no one had told her to be quiet earlier so they could hear the movie.

  On the next question Gabe glanced at Lily, who caught his look from the corner of her eye, but she kept her eyes on the television and said nothing. The scene shifted away from the competition, and Lily was glad to be off the hook. She told herself to watch with her mouth closed.

  To help her do this, she reached for one of the paper plates and took some popcorn and fruit. Filling her mouth worked fine until something made her laugh unexpectedly and she felt as though she was going to choke on the popcorn in her throat.

  "I'd pound you on the back, Lily, but I'm afraid of hurting your burn," Bailey told her.

  Having gained control on her own, Lily thanked her with a strained voice and streaming face.

  "Here." Gabe handed her a glass of root beer.

  Lily took a few sips, still feeling as though she had something jammed in her throat. Everyone went back to the movie, and Lily realized how blessed she was. The Kapaias treated her like family. They made sure she was all right, but they included her without special treatment and acted as though her presence were an everyday thing.

  When the movie ended, the children were put to bed. They rode up the stairs on their uncles' backs, their father bringing up the rear to pray with them, dole out kisses, and tuck them in.

  "That was fun, wasn't it?"

  "Yes," Lily agreed. "Can you imagine gaining all that knowledge so swiftly?"

  "No, I can't. I can't even imagine knowing what you know."

  "Oh, Bailey," Lily shook her head, "it's not as much as you might think. You knew most of it, didn't you?"

  "Most of it? No. I knew some of it."

  "That's understandable, Bailey," Lily kept on, her voice kind. "You have children to raise, a large home to keep, and a husband

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  to take care of. I have none of those things, so I have more time for reading."

  "I think you're too modest."

  Lily had no idea how to reply to that, so she sat quietly. "How is your burn doing?" Bailey asked, looking at Lily's still-red face.

  "Much better. A week ago I wondered if I was going to live, but now I think I am."

  "And how about Jeff? Do you still miss him so much?"

  "That's better too," Lily was able to say. "I'm still sorry that our time had to be interrupted, and I find myself hoping he finishes early, but I think I'll be fine."

  "Why don't you write and tell your father that you're going to stay a bit longer? That way you and Jeff co
uld maybe have six weeks or so together."

  Lily only nodded. How did one explain that you couldn't write Owen Walsh and tell him what you were going to do? At least his daughter couldn't. You could write and ask permission, but not tell.

  I'll have to think on that," Lily said, hoping Bailey would not press her.

  "You're easy to have around, did you know that, Lily?" Bailey suddenly said with a smile.

  "No, I didn't, but I'm glad to hear you say it. I was wondering how this has been for you. I can see that you're used to having family everywhere, but another woman is different."

  "That's true, but I'm doing fine. You're such a big help that this might be the most relaxed time off I've ever had."

  "May I ask you a question?"

  "Sure."

  "Will Ashton and his wife live here too?"

  "Not for the first year. They'll take one of the cottages and then move here later."

  "And how will that be for you? Will Deanne help out and such?"

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  "Yes. It helps that Deanne grew up around here. We've all known her for years. And something else you need to understand is that I've grown more laid-back over the years. As long as things get done, the method doesn't concern me anymore. If it's someone else's night for the dishes, he can do them at midnight if he chooses. I'm able to let it go, and then when it's my day, I do it my way."

  "When will Deanne be coming to marry Ashton?" "She finishes with school in December, and the date is set for early March."

  Lily smiled. "The children keep talking to me about it. I can tell they're very excited."

  "They're both going to be in the wedding, and they also miss Deanne because she's been gone," Bailey said with a chuckle. "Not to mention Ash. He's been just a little bit quiet since she left at the end of August."

  "May I ask you another question?" Lily vocalized the now-familiar phrase.

  "Sure. You can even ask me a question without asking if you can ask a question."

  Lily laughed a little but still said, "What is laid-back?"

  "Laid-back means easygoing."